THE HAIR INITIATIVE Connecting foster parents with hair care resources for kids of color BY ERIN PAGE . PHOTOS PROVIDED.
care falls on Black child welfare workers. Horn has researched and spent her own money to purchase hair care products for foster kids that she hoped were adequate for their needs. “We wanted to educate parents on the basics of hair care, give them supplies, create a network of stylists and facilitate conversation through workshops, all in a judgment-free zone." Emma Butler Though some foster parents aren’t motivated to figure out hair care for a child whose ethnicity is different from their own, many who are so inclined face barriers. Horn knows foster parents who’ve been berated for their foster children’s appearances while trying to shop for proper hair care products or attempting to patronize a salon or barber shop. In addition, hair products and stylists are expensive. Though Horn says foster parents receive hours of training to become certified, not much time is devoted to hair
care, and potential foster parents are often, understandably, more focused on topics like trauma-informed care at that point in their learning journey. Butler and Horn decided to do something to address the problem, empowering foster parents with hair care tools and resources, and in turn boosting the confidence of kids in foster care, celebrating and affirming their heritage and building bridges with biological families. In 2018, nonprofit organization The Hair Initiative was born. “We wanted to educate parents on the basics of hair care, give them supplies, create a network of stylists and facilitate conversation through workshops, all in a judgment-free zone,” said Butler. MEETING THE NEED The Hair Initiative achieves its mission by providing hair care kits and educational workshops to foster parents. They also provide referrals for stylists near foster families who are experienced with their foster child’s type of hair, and they are working to create a network of top-notch stylists offering discounted services. Hair care kits cost about $15 to $20 to make and include detangling brushes, products, spray bottles, hair clips and sleeping bonnets packed in a sturdy bag, with items included specific to hair length and texture. Kits are
Emma Butler has volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for the past five years, advocating in court cases for the best interest of children in the foster care system. A few years ago, she met a very self- conscious little girl who had been placed in multiple homes and whose hair had not been properly cared for in months. Butler, who wondered if this was a singular instance of a white family not knowing how to care for a Black child’s hair or a more prevalent issue in the foster care system, connected with Oklahoma Department of Human Services child welfare specialist Christy Horn to get her take. Horn has been with OKDHS for more than six years, four years as a permanency worker and two as a family meeting facilitator, and she confirmed that improper hair care is a problem for kids in the foster care system, both for girls and boys. In her experience, kids’ appearance, especially their hair, is one of the biggest points of contention between biological and foster parents. Challenges exist for all parties involved. Biological parents often spend their visits with their children doing their hair, or hair
16 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / NOVEMBER 2020
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